Saturday, October 30, 2010

Casualty of the fall winds. Since clumping bamboo shoots in the late summer and fall, they are still pretty tender and can see new culms snap during high winds. Luckily, this is the only one I have found off of a Bambusa oldhamii 'Giant Clumping Timber Bamboo'.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I am honored yet again to donate some fresh bamboo poles for a Hindu ceremony. I didn't initially ask what it was for the first time (two years ago). But asked this time out of curiosity (and appreciation for other cultures) and here is how the ceremony was explained:

"...the bamboo is used to fly a red flag of the devotee or Hindu god name Hanuman. This is a ceremony to offer prayers and special sweets to this particular god which is done in the home. At the end of the ceremony ( HanumanPooja) the red flag will be placed on the bamboo and will be mounted in the back or front yard of the residence. This ceremony is very common in the West Indies specifically where Hindu reside Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, Surinam Fuji etc…"

I also found a blog that explains the ceremony more ("Hindus perform Hanumanpujas to either give thanks to God for continuous good health and prosperity or to remove any difficulties, grief, sorrow or a likelihood or impending unhappiness in one’s path. Hanumanpujas are only performs on Tuesdays and Saturdays." - click here for more.

David, a fellow bamboo connoisseur, sent me several articles on the use of coffee to prevent pests. The Bambusa multiplex series of bamboo is particularly susceptible to sooty mold at the nodes which attracts ants. This often happens during warm humid evenings and is a nuisance, but does not harm the plants themselves. I'll usually manually remove it by blasting the mold (and ants) off with a high pressure water stream.

Another alternative is to use coffee to repel the ant in the first place.

We are available by appointment on the weekends. No obligation to buy, you get a one-to-one consultation, a tour of our bamboo garden and if you want you can purchase from our large inventory of bamboo plants. Call or e-mail us to set up your appointment.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

This was interesting... I cut out a mature Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Midori' from the ground a couple of months ago. Near the site of the original plant, I found a rhizome on top of the soil completely unrooted, sprouting as if it was in the ground. Now its in a pot, but had to snap a photo and share this oddity...

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Very excited yesterday to receive an advance copy of Paul Whitaker's new book - Practical Bamboos. So far its a great resource, I especially like the discussions and photos of how bamboo can be incorporated into a landscape, both from a practical privacy perspective, but also as an ornamental feature. The book releases on Wednesday and is available for sale at the Timber Press site and most online book retailers. Thanks Timber Press!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Facebook friend and bamboo customer Mark Riggle shared some photos with me from his recent trip to Bali. Not sure what the species is, but they are certainly beautiful! Photos being shared with Mark's permission.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

This looks like a book worth buying. Paul Whitaker's 50 Practical Bamboos. Whitaker is an excellent bamboo author and am looking forward to his latest book.

Heck, I may be offering it for sale myself. A book that summarizes 50 practical bamboos for any garden situation. I love books that meet a real need for most people... cut to the chase... need a bamboo that gives you privacy from a nosy neighbor... hopefully this book holds promise to dispense this commonly needed amount of advice and much more.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Over 300 plants with a few dozen varieties to choose from. One, five and 15 gallon sizes. Both running and clumping. We have varieties that are good for privacy and those that are beautiful ornamentals.

I am a collector of bamboo, have varieties you can't find anywhere else and can suggest the best plant for you garden situation.

Our bamboo garden has been featured in the Sacramento Bee, Fox 40 and Good Day Sacramento.

Bamboo prints and posters by Nate Abbott

About my bamboo nursery.....

I own a small, part-time bamboo nursery in Rocklin, CA, about 15 minutes east of Sacramento, CA. I have 120 varieties of bamboo in my personal collection most of which are for sale. I attend plant sales and farmers markets throughout the Sacramento area. Our event schedule is posted at www.madmanbamboo.com. I'm happy to answer questions regarding bamboo. Hopefully you'll enjoy this site!